Sleeper anchor



1 1,601,517 c. A. wALKwl-rz SLEEPER ANCHOR Sept. 28 1926.

. Filed March 30 1925 MYRIIL lzvmzzf: V. Ghz/famo@ walfliwwj,

Patented Sept. 28, 1926.

UNITED STATES CLARENCE A. WALKXVITZ, OF OLD kHICKORY, TENNESSEE.

SLEEPER ANCI-IOR.

Application filed March 30, 1925.. Serial No. 19,194.

This invention relates to a class of building appliances commonly knownas sleeper anchors, designed to anchor a iioor joist or sleeper toanunderlying body of concrete. A common form of these devices comprisesa generally U-shaped saddle embracing the bottoni and sides of thesleeper and nailed or otherwise attached to the latter, and meansassociated with the saddle for anchoring the latter to the concrete. Inthe use of these devices, the sleeper anchors are set on the concrete inlongitudinal rows corresponding` with the positions of the sleepers, andthe anchoring devices are pressed into the plastic concrete before thelatter has set. The sleepers are then laid in the saddles, and the sidesof the latter are then nailed or otherwise attached tov the sleeperbefore the superposed flooring is laid. `When the concrete hardens, theanchors are, of course permanently attached to the concrete and they, inturn, bond the sleepers securely to the concrete.

The principal object of my present invention is to provide a verysimple, inexpensive and eiiicient sleeper anchor of the characterdescribed. More specific objects are to provide an anchor having readilycollapsible sides and anchor prongs, whereby the manufactured articlescan be packed and shipped in stacked form requiring but a minimum ofspace; to provide a sleeper anchor having side walls which may be easilyfolded into nailing positionagainst the sides of the sleeper or joist;and to provide a sleeper anchor equipped with anchoring prongs of such aform as to afford a very tenacious hold on the concrete.

Other objects and attendant advantages of the invent-ion will beapparent to persons skilled in the art as the same vbecomes betterunderstood by reference to the following description, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawing, wherein I have illustrated apractical and approved embodiment of my improved sleeper anchor, and inwhich- Y Fig. l is a plan view showing the saddle member in open orunfolded position and the anchoring prongs lying in the plane of thebottom plate of the saddle, ready to be bent down to working position;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation showing the anchor secured to a sleeper; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section of a complete floor, includingthe concrete in which the anchors are set, a sleeper or joist mounted inthe anchors, and superposed flooring.

Referring tothe drawings, the improved sleeper anchor of my invention ispreferably made of sheet-metal, and includes a generally U-shaped saddiewhich, as herein shown, comprises a flat rectangular bottom plate 5, andfiat rectangular side plates 6 that. are preferably hinged at theirlower edges to opposite edges of the bottom plate by a well-knownstandard form of hinge comprising integral sleeves 7 on the side plates6, integral sleeves 8 on'the bottom plate 5 between and alined with theseeves 7, and hinge rods or pintles 9 extending through said sleeves.Preferably, and as herein shown, the hinges are so formed that,

when the side plates are swung upwardly for attachment to the sides ofthe sleeper, they are disposed externally of the U-shaped saddle thusformed, thus enabling the Vsleeper to snugly fit both `the bottom andside walls of the saddle as shown in Fig. 2.

In the bottom plate 5 are cut a pair of anchor prongs l0, the preferredform of which is clearly shown in Fig. rl, wherein it will be seen thateach prong is formed at its lower end with a widened or barbed head l0.Prior to the setting of the anchor in the concrete, the two prongs 10are bent downwardly on the dotted lines 11 (Fig. 1) to approximatelyvertical position. It will be observed that both prongs are locatedwholly inwardly of the longitudinal and transverse edges of the bottomplate 5, and

are both longitudinally and transverselyoifset, so that the marginalportions of the bottom plate for a considerable thickness are leftintegral or uncut, whereby only a minimum weakening of the plate iscaused by the cutting and bending therefrom of the anchor prongs.

In the practical use of the device the anchors are set at substantiallyuniformly Vspaced intervals in the body of concrete C while the latteris still soft enough to permit the anchor prongs lOto be pressed downtherein. l The sleeper S is then laid upon the bottom plates of the rowof anchors, and theside walls 6y of the latter are then folded upagainst the sides of the sleeper and attached thereto by nails l2. Theflooring F may then be nailed to the sleepers.

Then the concrete is set, the anchors are very strongly held thereinby'reason of the los llt)

barbed character of the anchor legs l0; While the feature of thefoldable hinged sides 6 facilitates the rapid laying of the sleeper ascompared With structures wherein the side Walls of the saddle are more'or less rigid With the bottom Wall and sometimes require to be spreadmore or less before the sleeper can be entered therebetween. Anotheradvantage resulting from making the sides 6 'foldable resides in :thefact that in building operations a considerable Ainterval of timefrequently intervenes after `the anchor Ais set in the Wet concreteuntil the sleepers and floor are laid. During` this lperiod a. lot ofWork is going on and men and Wheelbarrows are moving` over the concrete7and if the side Wals of the sleeper anchors Were left sticking upwardthey,T would frequently be bent down or knocked ofi'. ln theconstruction herein shown it is manifest that the side Walls can befolded downvand remain closed in a horizontal position until the time`when the sleepers are to be set, which entirely obviates the objectionsabove-noted.

Mani'festly the 'device is capable of rapid andeeononiical manufactureby punch press methods from a stock of sheet-metal7 and Wire to form thehinge pintles 9, and the increment of total building,` cost representedthereby is 'so low as to be practically negligible.

I claim- A sleeper anchor, Comprising a Ll-shaped sheet-metalsaddlehavingv a flat rectangularbottom )late and ffoldable flat rectanoular D`to opposite edges of said bottoni plate, and one or more barbedanchoring prongs Cut out of and bent downside plates hinOed u'ardly fromsaid bottom plates.

CLARENCE A. VALKWTZ.

